THE SPHERE OF ROAD TRANSPORT.
Page 23
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The Effect of the Raising of Railway Rates Upon the Road Transport of the Country.
IN ORDER to get some idea of the probable results of the raising of railway goods rates, upon road transport, it is necessary briefly to examine the general transport situation of the country prior to the rates being raised.
The three main systems of inland transport are— canals, railways, and roads. Prior to the war, the relative work of these varipus systems was, roughly, as follows :— Canals.--50 per cent, of these were under the control of railway companies who, naturally, did nothing to encourage their development. •Despite this fact, oar inland waterways were largely employed in carrying freights of comparatively low value which passed in large bulk and wherespeed in transport was not essential, such as coal, bricks, manure gravel, grain, pig-iron, etc., etc. Canal charges were somewhat lower than railway charges for such services.
The railways ivere, and AM are, our most importantsystem for inland transport. They were prepared to accept everything offered, providing that their weights and dimensions were within certain limits, and they provided transport at various speeds to suit the nature of the traffic so handled.
Road transport was only developing prior to the war, but it had already shown itself capable of giving an improved speed Of delivery to that offered by rail, within well-defined distances, and its charges being comparable with those of the railways, for goods• classified under classes -one to five of the railway classification. There were, however, strict limitations within which it could be employed successfully. In the ordinary way, where the numbers of collections and deliveries in a, consignment Were numerous, it could not operate at the same charges as the railways. Road transport could only handle consignments of moderate dimensions, and regard had to be paid to the relation of weight to bulk. These restrictions were largely due to the lack of a proper graduation of the railway rates, in accordance with the nature of the work performed_ Another function which a certain section of road transport performed was the transport of units of exceptional size or weight, which the railways were unable to handle owing to the size of tunnels, to ctirves, bridges, etc.'
A further service which was closely related to inland transport was the coastwise. shipping service. This service operated at a charge lower than railway rates or road transport, and probably carried a large Proportion of the country's traffic moving between towns either on or adjacent to the coast.
The relative positions of these four systems just prior to the raising of railway rates, had altered materially. Canals, road transport, and coastwise shipping had been obliged to raise their charges by something approaching 100 per cent, to meet the ever-growing costs of operation. Railways,. on the other hand under the protection of a Government 'subsidy, had. retained their rates at the pre-war figure. Naturally, the traffic all flowed -Lathe cheapest system and the railways became hopelessly congested, coastwise shipping practically disappeared altogether, canals naturally suffered to some extent, and rendtransport found its natural traffic hopelessly cut up, the public only patronizing it when they had given up all hope of getting the railways to accept the same. Road transport had, however, one compensating gain to set against its losses. The railways, having been removed •above the atmosphere of competition and having their financial returns assured to them by the Government, became hopelessly indifferent to the interests of the public, they served, and lost heavily in the efficiency with which they carried out their work. Weeks were occupied in transporting goods over distances where previously -only hours were required; frequently; goods were entirely lost. Road transport, on the contrary, improved steadily in efficiency under the fierce and unfair competition to which it was subjected. The public wore quick to note the difference between its comparative rapidity with the sloth of the railway companies. There can be no doubt that, in the new race for traffic which we are entering upon, when the railways, we are told, must be run on a proper paying basis, road transport will start as the hot favourite. How far it will retain that position will depend upon a proper recognition " of its true functionS.
The immediate effect of the raising of railway rates to their new level will be to place road transport in a most favourable position for carrying goods classified under classes one to five, in competition with the railways, for distances up to, say, 50 miles. The consignments must, however, only be of moderate proportions. Road transport is strictly confined to transporting goods direct from point to point ; it must notlks, attempt to encroach.upon the large work of railway systems, which are not only transporters of goods, but provide accommodation. • In the handling of such commodities as grain, pulp, china clay, coal, pig-iron, etc., it is necessary to provide strategic points of storage ; they could not he effectively handled otherwise. Raw cotton, preserved meats, frozen meats, and various other commodities require, in many instances, similar provisions in transit. Road transport, however, is not so well adapted for handling traffic requiring such storage accomniodation as railway systems, and to endeavour to do so will be to the detriment of road transport.
A further point of danger which threatens road transport is the disregard for the need of supplying. a regular service of transport.. It must not be content merely to carry odd :loads in a hurry. There is a far richer field to be found in the steady flow of traffic which requires a minimum of handling and a quickness of despatch and which passes in relatively small consignments, not exceeding, say, a few hundred tons at a, time.
Manufacturers and agents will make the most of the opportunity; There is nothing that can be so falsely beautiful on paper as .estimated costs of running a vehicle. Very few manufacturers really know the actual cost of the operation of their own machines, over a lengthyperiod, neither do they imagine. the difficulty of always keeping a vehicle fully loaded both ways, even with the help of freight exchanges. But the difference between the possible and actual working costs is unknown to most men, and there is bound to be a considerable influx of "amateur transport" into the road transport industry, which may lead to many difficulties at present unforeseen.
In .the meantime, the outlook is brighter than it ha-s been fofthe past six years? The public are sympathetic, the country is getting busy, and road transport can meet its requirements within limitations, with a degree of efficiency which no other 'form of inland transport can at present approach. With -an increased supply Of vehicles and better roads, the country should by the end of the year be enjoying transport facilities it has never ,realized in the past—and transport facilities largely govern the prosperity or otherwise of the nation.